The impact of COVID-19 on the construction sector in Zimbabwe

The COVID-19 pandemic affected the construction industry in numerous ways. However, contextual empirical studies that enable derivation of interventions are yet to be undertaken. This study investigates the perceptions of construction professionals relative to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and responses on the construction sector in Zimbabwe. The study adopted a quantitative design which entailed the distribution of a web-based questionnaire among construction professionals, architects, construction/project managers, engineers and quantity surveyors from construction and consultancy firms in Bulawayo and Harare. The data were analysed based on the descriptive and inferential statistics. The results show that the COVID-19 pandemic and responses had significant effects on the construction sector. The pandemic affected the construction sector through nine main pathways; the top five being loss of income for workers, project implementation delays, job losses, increased health and safety risk, and project suspensions. Through identifying the main pathways in which the COVID-19 pandemic affected the construction industry, the study provides important insights to policymakers, construction stakeholders and researchers to plan targeted interventions or policies to mitigate the effects of the pandemic on the sector. However, because of the small sample, the study results are indicative and care should be taken when generalising the results to a large population.